Live Webinar on July 9: School Avoidance & Refusal: Root Causes and Strategies for Parents and Educators
Register below for this free webinar on school avoidance on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at 1pm ET. Sign up and you will receive the free webinar replay link as well!
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School refusal and avoidance have grown more prevalent and problematic since the quarantine of 2020. The reasons behind school refusal and avoidance are different for every student, but the goal is typically the same: to stay at home and miss tests, class work, and homework. From elementary school through high school, absenteeism is growing — and pushing students further and further behind.
Underlying anxiety often propels and compels this behavior, which can present differently in different students — from stomachaches and headaches in some to signs of depression in others. For some students, this anxiety may stem from academic struggles. Students with ADHD may feel overwhelmed if they’re unable to keep up with teacher instruction, class work, and homework. They may also be worn down by years of criticism and correction at school. For others, social difficulties, such as bullying or peer rejection, may cause anxiety and the desire to avoid school.
It’s important for caregivers and educators to understand the underlying causes for each student’s school avoidance and absenteeism so that their individual needs can be addressed, and they can return to school feeling hopeful in a positive environment.
In this webinar, you will learn:
- About the underlying factors that contribute to school avoidance and absenteeism
- How these factors may affect students with ADHD, in particular
- How symptoms of school avoidance can look different across elementary school-age children and teens
- How to identify and meet the needs of struggling students
- About the evidence-based strategies that parents and educators can utilize to support students with school refusal behaviors
- Therapy options to help students transition back to the academic environment
Have a question for our expert? There will be an opportunity to post questions for the presenter during the live webinar.
Meet the Expert Speaker
Alana Cooperman, LCSW, is a senior social worker for the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute. She has extensive experience delivering evidence-based treatment to children and families with a range of anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, selective mutism, and phobias. She also works with individuals with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and those struggling with emotion dysregulation. Mrs. Cooperman has provided individual and group therapy to children and adolescents in school settings for over 15 years.
Mrs. Cooperman has received training in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), functional behavior assessments (FBA), parent-child interaction therapy for selective mutism (PCIT-SM), and exposure and response prevention (ERP).
Mrs. Cooperman’s experience includes working on a multidisciplinary team, alongside school administrators, teachers, families, and other clinicians, to create student goals and individualized behavior plans. She has led numerous workshops for both teachers and families, teaching strategies to support children struggling with emotion regulation, anger, and anxiety. Mrs. Cooperman also has experience conducting comprehensive family intakes and child and adolescent risk assessments.
School Avoidance & ADHD: More Resources
- Download: Social Anxiety Facts and Falsehoods
- Sign Up: Back-to-School Master Class from ADDitude
- Read: 6 Good Reasons to Change Your Child’s School
- Read: Why School Stress Is Toxic for Our Children
Certificate of Attendance: For information on how to purchase the certificate of attendance option (cost $10), register for the webinar, then look for instructions in the email you’ll receive one hour after it ends. The certificate of attendance link will also be available here, on the webinar replay page, several hours after the live webinar. ADDitude does not offer CEU credits.
Closed captions available.
